Ravens vs. Falcons Preview: Things to Watch in Preseason Finale

Week 4 of the NFL preseason brings us a match up between two teams that are considered to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders going into the regular season. Both of these teams made the playoffs last season and are poised to make deep runs again this year.

Although it is week four, and this generally means that starters will hardly see the field, it will still be interesting to see the number ones go head to head for a portion of the first quarter.

The Falcons Offense

The Atlanta Falcons starting eleven is essentially set. The offensive line has come together this preseason despite losing Harvey Dahl to the St. Louis Rams.

The backfield consists of Matt Ryan at quarterback, Ovie Mughelli at fullback, and Michael Turner at running back. The receivers are Roddy White and Julio Jones coupled with Tony Gonzalez at tight end.

These starters may not play very long, but look for them to struggle a little bit while they are on the field.

The Ravens Offense

The Ravens have never been known for their offense, but they have definitely made strides as of late. They acquired Lee Evans this off season to be the receiver opposite of Anquan Boldin and they drafted speedster Torrey Smith to help out at slot this season.

Joe Flacco is back at quarterback and is ready to keep progressing in the system. Ray Rice and Ricky Williams head up a backfield that is going to be one of the most productive in the NFL.

Look for the starters to also struggle a little bit when they are out on the field.

The Falcons Defense

It is no secret that the Atlanta Falcons defense has been the Achilles heel of the team as of late. Last season, the Falcons had a top ten offense, but their defense was in the bottom half of the league. 

The Falcons have made some changes on defense, with the biggest being the addition of DE Ray Edwards.

I expect Ray Edwards, John Abraham, Corey Lofton, and Sean Witherspoon to have a big final preseason game applying constant pressure on Flacco.

The Ravens Defense

The Ravens defense is just plain scary. Between Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs they have some of the most feared players in all of football.

I expect the Ravens defense to be the strong point of their team, once again, eventually propelling them to the playoffs.

Look for the defense to show glimpses of what they will do all season longstrike fear in the opponent.

The Game in General

Week 4 of the preseason is arguably the worst week in the all of sports. Essentially, no teams' first team offense/defense will be on the field for more than maybe two possessions for the fear that the players will get hurt.

Expect a good fight when the first teams are on the field, but when the second and third teams play, I personally will be changing the channel.